Deathly Accurate
by armless-phelan
Summary: When toplevel SeeDs start turning up dead, Quistis Trepe is ordered to investigate. Now, with the help of a new partner and a psychic, she must stop the murderer before she becomes the next victim! Abandoned.
1. Chapter 1

Deathly Accurate

Summary: When top-level SeeDs start turning up dead, Quistis Trepe is ordered to investigate. Now, with the help of a new partner and a psychic, she must stop the murderer before she becomes the next victim. Some OOC, but not enough to matter.

Chapter One: Murder

A/N: With my interest in Resurrection drawing to a close, I decided to break off from the overly action-packed stuff and go with a suspense/mystery thriller type of fic. I chose Quistis because, let's face it, she is the smartest of the SeeDs. As for her partner, it's a side character from the game who was way underdeveloped. I will let you know now, there are going to be main character deaths. However, don't feel afraid to flame me.

This fic is dedicated to my loyal reviewers: Gullwing Yunie, Rakunya, Sorceress Eternity, and Chocobo Nunchaku. Thanks for sticking with me when everyone else thought I was insane for writing a FFVIII/Zombie fic.

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The yellow tape and orange cones did nothing to keep curious eyes from the crime scene. Voices rose and cameras flashed in the direction of the figure outlined in chalk. Around it stood several young men and women in SeeD uniforms, their attention focused solely on hiding the body from the public. If need be, the intimidating force could turn deadly.

A black vehicle, a cross between an armoured escort and an SUV, pulled up. The unwanted audience was distracted momentarily as they realized someone important had arrived.

The driver's side door opened and black boot with stiletto-esque high heels hit the dark pavement with a click as a woman stepped out. Long blonde hair that normally fell past her shoulders was pulled into a ponytail and trailed down the ridges of her back that showed where her spine was. Magnificent blue eyes were magnified by spectacles that had slipped from the bridge of her nose to the edge. With pale, slender fingers, the glasses were returned to their rightful place. At her side, hanging from a loop on her belt, was a coiled up whip made from chain and Catcherpillar webbing. At her shoulder was a 9 mm handgun, tucked away in a standard issue SeeD shoulder holster.

"Miss Trepe! Miss Trepe, is Garden involved in this heinous crime?" a man yelled, shoving a microphone in her face. Annoyed she batted it away as two other SeeDs exited the vehicle, only to push the paparazzi back behind the press line.

Quistis was in a dark blue power suit and white scientist's jacket. Normally, she wouldn't wear such a thing, but earlier that day she had attended an opening of a museum dedicated to the victims of the most recent Sorceress War. She wouldn't have gone, but she'd been coerced by the Garden Commander, Squall Leonhart, to do so as a show of goodwill between Garden and the three major world nations.

The Instructor-turned-Investigator was approached by a short young man with dark hair, hazel eyes with flecks of green, and skin a few shades lighter than the bark of a midona (A/N: elm) tree. "Miss Trepe?"

"Captain Dura," Quistis said with a handshake. "I wish we were seeing each other again under happier circumstances."

"As do I," Dura responded as he pulled his hand away from Quistis. He lifted the yellow tape and the tall woman bent forward to fit under it.

"What's the situation?"

"Undercover SeeD agent found dead at 7:30 pm by a woman walking her dog down this alley. She has been compensated for her silence, so we need not worry about this leaking out," Dura assured the woman.

With a sigh, Quistis looked back at the media trying to get a glimpse of who was lying dead on the blacktop. A flash went off, and she had to blink several times before the spots would dissipate. "It doesn't appear that way."

"They just smell a story. No details have been released," Dura wiped his hands on his pant legs and led Quistis to the body. "Visual examination has estimated that he has been dead less than twenty-four hours, and that this was a dumping spot, not the scene of the murder. I have men and women out scouting the locals for information."

"What was his assignment?" she asked as she looked down at the dead man. He was in a disguise: dyed hair, false teeth, and contacts to change his eye colour. "Infiltration?"

"We're waiting on the information to come back from Garden's database, but it would appear so. Most likely in the employ of the local government to get into the local gangs. The tattoos suggest that, anyway."

"Tattoos?"

"Show her," Dura ordered a young female SeeD. She snapped on a pair of latex gloves and carefully rolled back a sleeve on the corpse's shirt. Indeed, a long tattoo in the shape Ifrit in battle with Shiva ran up the arm. It was an uncommon design that Quistis had seen far too many times not to recognize.

"I know who that is," Quistis said. She wiped her hand across her forehead, small rivulets of sweat gathering.

"Who is it, Miss Trepe?" the young female SeeD asked. A wide-eyed curiosity seemed to have gripped her.

"Yes, let's see that famous wit at work," Dura agreed, rocking on the balls of his feet.

"That young man is as well known as I," Quistis had her eyes narrowed in concentration. Something was obviously bothering her. "That is Zell Dincht lying before us."

Of course the Captain and the SeeD gasped, but the others made no distinction of surprise, lest the press realize that some development had occurred in the case. Of course, the SeeD recovered quickly, putting on a mask of professionalism. Dura, being with local police force, continued to look concerned.

"Captain Dura," Quistis wrung her hands behind her back, trying to hide her own fear. "I must request that you keep this information to yourself. If word were to get out that such a powerful warrior is dead..."

"Understood," the Captain nodded. "And I'll make sure that this doesn't make it into any newspapers."

A small smile appeared on the Instructor's face. "Oh, that isn't necessary, Captain. We at SeeD have our own way of dealing with the media."

---

Balamb Garden's Commander, Squall Leonhart, said nothing during the video conference. His dark eyes just narrowed and stared into those of the Blonde who was staring at the screen. Whether or not the intentions behind it could be transferred electronically, Quistis still had to fight the urge to shudder. Instead, she simply stared back at the screen and her boss.

When she had been informed of her promotion from SeeD/Instructor at Balamb Garden to Headmaster of Galbadia Garden, the whip wielding warrior had not been ecstatic. The "Red Garden," as the locals referred to it, was in utter chaos when she showed up. The Galbadian military had deserted it, leaving the red floating building to drift alone on the water. They had found it with the Ragnarok, towed it to Fisherman's Harbour for repair, and it fell immediately under Quistis's control. Of course, the intelligent young woman shouldered the unwanted burden, but the fact that she had to update Squall on every situation was an insult. She had been one of the three that ran Balamb Garden during the Sorceress War, working alongside Xu and Dr. Kadowaki, in addition to working with Squall and the others in bringing about the downfall of the Sorceresses. And when the party "inherited" the Ragnarok, Quistis spent hours pouring over e-mails from the other two women about the problems they were having. Surely Squall would have trusted her enough to leave Galbadia Garden under her expert command. Of course, he didn't.

"What is your opinion on this matter?" Quistis continued to glare after breaking the silence, but refusing to blink. If she showed any other signs of weakness, he would come to believe that he could manipulate her even more than he already did. Quistis refused to let that happen.

Finally breaking the visual showdown, Squall shuffled some papers on his desk and cleared his throat. Quistis didn't dare smile, but beneath her own desk she clenched her hands in silent victory. "Instructor Trepe," even after all of the time they had spent together and her elevation from Instructor to Headmaster, he continued to call her that, "in conjunction with the official report and your own statements, I have decided to temporarily relieve you of your control over Galbadia Garden. You will investigate the situation surrounding Zell Dincht's death. During the time of your investigation, Xu will commandeer my other Garden."

_My other Garden._ The words rang in Quistis's ears, showing just how much respect he had for her. Her butt had been working itself off to bring the dying Garden back to life, and at that moment it hummed with as much life as the other two. The internal repairs had even included the ice rink on the lowest floor, which gave the students a place to vent their frustrations with figure skating during the week and hockey games on weekends. Oddly enough, it was the figure skating that had become the more popular of the two sports. Even the famous Headmaster herself was known to strap on a pair of skates and twirl along on the ice, her students cheering as she completed pirouettes and other complicated skating moves.

"And how am I to investigate Zell's death, Commander Leonhart?" The formality of the conversation didn't bother her at all, but the emotionless way he had reacted towards Zell's death did. Quistis had cried into a glass of blackberry merlot the night before as her grey tabby curled up at her feet on the sofa. Squall didn't even seem to register that he had lost a good friend, it appeared. Then again, even with her years of practice, Quistis still had trouble reading her former student. "I won't have the resources of Garden behind me if I'm resigned from my position of Headmaster, even if it is only temporary."

Squall laughed darkly, causing an involuntary twitch in Quistis's right eye. It seemed impossible that he could find any humour in the situation. "You will still have Garden's resources, but I'm asking an old friend to assist you."

"And who would that be?" Being left out of the loop wasn't something that Quistis took lightly. Information was what she worked with, and she needed it as soon as it became available.

"My sister," was all Squall said. He saluted Quistis, who returned the military greeting, and the screen went blank. The Instructor leaned forward in her chair, her chin hitting her chest painfully, and let out a long breath. What she needed least was to baby-sit Squall's older sister, on top of solving her friend's murder.

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A/N: So, what do you guys think? Until ­Resurrection is finished I can't promise regular updates on this fic, but I will (hopefully) be sticking with it. Please R&R, as I thrive on confirmation of my talent (or lack thereof).


	2. Psychic

Chapter Two: Psychic

A/N:

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The train station was busy, as men in business suits and women in power suits rushed past each other, briefcases flying in their wake. Standing at the unloading dock from Timber was Quistis Trepe dressed in black slacks, an untucked white dress shirt unbuttoned low enough to show the split of her cleavage, and below the hem of her slacks could be seen her trademark black boots. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail that fell between her shoulder blades, and on her face was a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles. Her hands were free of gloves, but her whip still hung at her side.

As the train began unloading, a young man in a SeeD uniform stepped off in the accompaniment of Ellone. Quistis narrowed her eyes sourly, irritated by the lack of inconspicuous behaviour. How was she supposed to protect Ellone from possible danger if her existence in Galbadia was flaunted. Even with the reinstated Galbadian Garden, the Galbadian citizenry and government wasn't on the best of terms with the Garden organizations. Many harsh feelings were shared between the two after the immediate disappearance of Seifer Almasy. Galbadia accused Garden of hiding him from their Tribunal, and Garden stating that Galbadia had already killed Seifer and was simply trying to blame elsewhere. Even with her advanced knowledge of world events, Quistis wasn't sure which side she believed.

"Oh, Quisty!" Ellone called as she flung her arms around the not amused Instructor. Her eyes flashed dangerously in the direction of the SeeD as she hugged the older girl. Ellone was wearing a green and yellow sundress with a skirt that fell just above her knees. "It feels like it's been forever since I've seen you!"

"Squall sent you because he doesn't my abilities. He wants us to use yours," Quistis stated, getting down to business. It still irritated her that she hadn't done much more than the preliminary investigation before having Squall pull rank on her.

"That's right," the woman said nervously. Ellone's brown hair had been cut shorter than the last time Quistis had seen her. It was clipped close to her head, except for bangs that would've fallen into her eyes if they weren't tucked behind her ears. "Squall insisted that I have a body guard at all times. That's why he sent Nida."

"Now that she's in my care," Quistis called to the Garden pilot, "you can go back to Balamb Garden." Nida responded by shaking his head.

"He told me that Squall ordered him to stay with me until the case is closed," Ellone told her old friend. She stuck her arm out and waved the young man over. "And he's supposed to assist you in your investigation."

Quistis scoffed. Not only was she not trusted to run Galbadia Garden while investigating Zell's death, she wasn't even trusted to investigate it herself. What would it take for her to prove her usefulness to the Commander? It didn't seem like there was much more that she could do, aside from traveling back in time and defeating Ultimecia by herself.

"It's been awhile," Nida said as he held out a hand for Quistis. Ellone moved out of the way, leaving the Instructor to eye the hand before taking it in her own. The touch was stiff and awkward, with Quistis pulling away as soon as possible.

"Have you been briefed on the situation?" Quistis asked him before turning to Ellone. Her left foot trailed the concrete of the outdoor unloading dock, skuffing the front of her boot. "Both of you?"

Nida nodded and Ellone looked sad before whispering her confirmation. "Squall told me," the psychic continued, "that Zell was murdered. Is it true?"

Quistis looked around to make sure that no one had heard Ellone before she hissed a reply. "We do not discuss the specifics of cases, internal or otherwise, in public!"

Of course, the Brunette girl looked taken aback. For a moment, Quistis had to hold back a laugh. She was beginning to sound like Squall, the man who had reduced her life into glorified baby-sitter.

However, the other two didn't have the opportunity to respond to Quistis's harsh reprimand because the men and women around them began screaming. The Instructor's head jerked to the cause of the commotion and she didn't even try to hold back the expletives that had found their way into her mouth.

A group of three men in black commando gear stormed the train station, with three automatics weapons firing into the various professionals arouond them. Quistis looked back at Ellone and realized why they were there. There was no better way to immobilize Garden than kidnap the headmaster's sister, and she was sitting out in the open. Still, there was no way they could've known where she was going to be unless Quistis had been followed.

Quistis grabbed Ellone's arm in a tight grasp and pulled her away from the fray, stashing the frightened medium behind a large trash can. Ellone whimpered as Quistis looked up and saw Nida running toward them, firing a .9 mm handgun at them. She wondered where he had obtained the weapon before remembering her own concealed firearm lodged in the back of her bra. Expertly reaching back through her shirt, Quistis pulled the gun free and handed it to Ellone, telling her to fire if Nida and she failed to stop the onslaught.

Ellone nodded shakily and took the offered weapon into her hands, then ducking behind the trashcan and covering her head with her hands. While Ellone was doing that, Quistis had freed her whip from its "holster" and swung it dangerously above her head. Nida made it to Quistis, and squeezed off a few more rounds before looking back to make sure that Ellone was okay.

"What do we do?" he shouted over the sound of the firearms. They ducked to avoid a spray of bullets and Quistis let her whip fly, hitting one of the advancing warriors in the side with the chain-laden whip.

"Protect Ellone to your last!" was the Instructor's reply. A woman with a briefcase was blown apart by the fire as she mistakenly ran in front of Quistis. The Blonde tucked her ponytail into her shirt before dropping to the ground and swinging her weapon around, striking the nearest of the commandos in the face. They were wearing modified gas masks, so she didn't directly injure him, but the force had been strong enough to crack the tinted visor that protected his face. Quistis guessed that they were men by their bulky builds.

Nida had abandoned his firearm in favour of a pair of sai that Quistis had also not noticed. She metally cursed herself for not being on task and wrapped the edge of her whip around one of the cammando's legs. The Instructor jerked and he fell back, his gun clattering away.

Meanwhile, Nida had managed to disarm the other two men by launching his sai at their hands and knocking the weapons to the floor. The SeeD bent down and ran by the commandos, grabbing his sai on the way.

"Bring it on!" Nida shouted, twirling the weapons in his hands as the two commandos stood back up. They grabbed at the sides of their legs and pulled out extendable batons. ((A/N: Similar to what Alice used in her fight against Nemesis/Matt in _RE Apocalypse_)) They rushed Nida, who parried with his Sai. His leg swept out and knocked one black-clad warrior to the ground as he spun and drove his elbow into the face of the other.

With her own opponent still very much alive, Quistis jerked her whip loose and attempted to bring it down on him until he blocked it with his own baton. Admiring his craftiness, Quistis jerked her whip back once more, bringing the baton with it. She reached a hand up and yanked the baton free. One fluid motion coiled the whip back in her hand and Quistis reattached it to her side. She gripped the baton and charged, whacking the commando in his mask before he could get up. This time the racked visor shattered and he screamed as shards of it caught in his eyes. The man grabbed at something on his chest, and it took Quistis a second before she realized what had happened.

"Grenade!" she cried before diving behind the trashcan with Ellone, the baton still fiercely within her grip.

The other SeeD, Nida, stabbed one commando in the chest with a sai before delivering a kick to the other one. He dropped and rolled beneath the train just as the grenade exploded, vaporizing the three instigators.

Quistis protected Ellone with her own body, feeling heat brush by. Luckily, no shrapnel had struck her in the blast. When a calm silence finally settled on the train station, the Instructor stood up and walked to the least magled body, nudging it with her baton. There was no response.

"Come on," Quistis offered Ellone a hand and helped the medium to her feet. Nida rolled back into the open and dusted himself off before silently surveying the scene all around them. Dead civilians lay all around, bodies ripped apart by gunfire. The bodies of the commandos seemed to have disappeared with the blast.

"Let's get out of here," Nida agreed. He wiped his sai on the body of a dead conductor. Then the deadly blades went back into their sheaths in the interior of the thighs of his pants. Quistis made special note of this.

---

"Are you saying that you were attacked?" Xu asked as Quistis briefed her about the situation at the East Academy Train Station. "Who do you think did it?"

"Well," Quistis said as she took off her glasses. At that moment Ellone was in the former Headmaster's apartment/dorm with Nida keeping watch. "History would dictate Galbadia being behind the strike, but I've fought Galbadian soldiers. These people were too sloppy, easily overcome by a couple of lone SeeDs. My guess is that it was someone else."

"Esthar or Dollet?"

Xu was an intelligent woman when it came to leading battles, but her mind wasn't attuned to the complexitites of international woes and the like. Quistis, still angry at Squall for giving control of Galbadia Garden to someone that the Instructor believed to be unprepared for such a daunting task, growled before answering. "It was probably a small rebel group hoping that they could force our hand by taking Ellone. It wouldn't be Esthar because Laguna Loire is still the president, and Dollet is still an ally of Garden."

"Until we figure this out, I don't want you or Ellone to leave Garden," Xu ordered. "That goes for Nida, too. He is assisting you in your investigation, after all."

Outrage wouldn't even begin to describe what Quistis was feeling at that moment. Not only had she been left uninformed about Nida "assisting" her on her investigation with Zell, but Xu had effectively strangled the investigation by saying that she couldn't leave Garden! "Listen here," the Instructor spoke up, "Squall left you in charge of Garden while I'm investigating Zell's death. You do not have the authority to bar Ellone or myself from leaving. And Nida, if I remember correctly, isn't under your authority as well."

Thus the stalemate had been reached. Xu's upper lip curled back menacingly, her newfound power already being challenged. However, she knew that Quistis was correct. Her authority encompassed only Galbadia Garden's students and SeeDs. Ellone wasn't affiliated with Garden beyond Squall being her brother, Nida was a SeeD from Balamb Garden, and Quistis was currently untouchable.

"I see you get it now, _Headmaster_," Quistis mocked before standing up. She was still wearing the outfit she had worn at the train station, and the baton she had stolen from the commando was resting in her pocket. Quistis prefered carrying it as a secondary weapon over the pistol, which was still in Ellone's possession. "If you try to interfere with my duties as a SeeD again, you will regret it. Even if Squall does think you're more qualified than I to lead this Garden, we both know that he's wrong. I have put more into this place than you have back at Balamb. The residents won't take to kindly to you trying to throw your weight around, either. If you know what I mean."

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A/N: Gratuitous fight scene? Maybe, but it does come into play later. And what happens when Ellone tries to use her powers to look into the past of a dead person? You'll see in the next chapter.


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